Unforseen Consequences
by lis562
Summary: Max Caulfield decided to sacrifice Arcadia Bay so Chloe can live to fight another day. However, Chloe Price gets second thoughts and starts to question Max's decision and motivations. When Chloe realizes that Max's choice is final, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Bae Ending. AU. One Shot.


**Author's comments:**

 **Not sure what made me write this. Tweaked a few things in Bae ending. Treat this like a Treehouse of Horror Simpsons Episode. IDK. May or may not expand this.**

* * *

 _She did it. Again._

Chloe Price is loss for words upon hearing her best friend, Max Caulfield, saying "Not anymore!" out loud. Trembling in fear and feeling completely nauseous, Chloe struggles to remain calm. She watches as the torn Polaroid picture gets devoured by the ferocious water spout.

 _Max...what have you done? What have we done? Arcadia Bay...is doomed! Mom...David...they're going to...die._

Chloe can't take her eyes off the storm and stands there, feeling completely helpless and powerless. She notices that Max has gotten closer to her and wants to hold hands with her. Chloe obliges but continues to remain speechless and shocked. She can feel Max trembling as well. The two of them hold hands while watching the death and destruction that is about to occur.

 _Max...truly loves me. She has went through a lot of shit, just for me. She has done the impossible just to save my ungrateful ass, over and over again. She just sacrificed our hometown and everybody in it , so I can live another day. She's truly the best friend anybody could ask for._

"I'll always be with you Max." Chloe finally breaks her silence and approaches Max.

Max rests her head on Chloe's shoulder as Chloe observes the gigantic water spout reaching the coast. She can see people in the distance running for their lives. Her heart sinks. The tornado starts to destroy the lifeguard houses and makes its way towards the beach houses. She puts her arm over Max and looks away from the destruction. She looks at Max and reflects on what is happening around them and the past week. She thinks of her mother, David, her old Blackwell friends, and Rachel.

 _Rachel. Was this truly your revenge? Is this what you wanted? Would you have done the same thing if you were in our shoes? I-I don't know. I really don't think so. Oh, Rachel. I will never see you again. Mom. I'm so sorry. You're going to die in a fucking diner. It's all my fault! This is happening because of me! Max could've stopped this but she didn't. She picked me. Over everybody else. She sealed their fate. How can I just stand here and do nothing? How can Max, with her special powers, just stand there and not even try to save anybody?_

"Max." Chloe asks as she watches the tornado devour the town.

"Y-yes Chloe?" Max looks up to Chloe.

"Are you sure...are you sure about this? Are you sure you made the right decision?"

"Chloe, I know I did. You are the only thing that matters to me. I won't give you up for anything. No matter what happens. "

"But-but my mom! Kate! Our friends at school! David! They are...they are going to..."

Chloe bursts into tears and turns her back towards Max, who puts her hand on Chloe's shoulders.

"I know Chloe. I'm so sorry that your Mom and David are going to die, but I was given these powers for a reason. They were to save you in the bathroom. It was destiny. I _know_ it was! I-I can't and _won't_ let you go."

Chloe wipes away her tears and turns back to face Max.

"But Max! How can you tear up the photo? It was your ticket to save everybody. I know you care about me and I do love you Max and appreciate everything you've done for me, but we can't just stand here doing nothing! Why-why didn't you even consider saving the town?"

Max grabs Chloe by her hands and looks directly into her eyes.

"Chloe, I may have acted too fast but I don't regret my decision at all. I said that the only thing that matters to me, was _you._ I don't care about anybody or anything else. I truly mean what I say. As long as you're with me, that's all that matters. I will always be there for you. _Forever_."

The word "Forever" echos inside Chloe's mind. Max rests her head on her shoulder once again and holds her tight. Chloe looks down on the ground and thinks about what her future holds. She first thinks about happy thoughts of the two of them going to Portland, visiting various cities, college life, and doing fun things together like going to the beach or going to the movie theater. However, these happy thoughts quickly disappears as she keeps thinking of Max and the word "Forever". She turns her head and stares at Max, who is smiling and feeling comfortable.

 _This is someone who can manipulate time. This is the only person who could stop this madness. Yet, she's just standing here. Doing nothing. Without a care in the world. I was willing to sacrifice myself to save my mother and my friends. She didn't agree. She tore up that photo. I've become an orphan and homeless. The universe wanted me dead but Max defied it. She Defied fate. W-what is going to happen now? Am I safe? Is there going to be more storms? More destruction? If so, Max is going to keep saving me. She has proven that she will do anything for me. She killed my dad just so I won't end up in a wheelchair. She destroyed an entire timeline just so I can live! She'll keep wiping out everybody else, just for me! I-I'm not worth any of this. My life is not more important than anybody else's! Look at her! She's still just standing here! No remorse! No regret! I-I can't stand for this!_

Chloe abruptly pushes Max aside and becomes furious with her. She takes a few steps backwards. Max is completely taken by surprise.

"Max, you killed my mom! You killed David! You destroyed the entire town! What's wrong with you?"

Max points to the tornado and defends herself.

"Chloe! That tornado is the one killing people! I didn't create this storm! I'm not a murderer!"

"You _did_ Max! You saved me in the bathroom, where I was supposed to die! Chaos theory Max. We've been over this! This is your responsibility to fix! You even said so!"

"Chloe, I can't let you die like that! You deserve to live! I received these powers to save you. That's why I refuse to sacrifice you. Please Chloe, I didn't want it to come to this but I had no choice. I love you Chloe. I love you more than anybody else. Always will! _Forever._ "

Once again, Max saying the word "Forever" echos on Chloe's mind. Max goes up to Chloe to give her a hug. Chloe hesitantly returns it.

 _Forever? Max really loves me. Perhaps a little too much. I-I don't know if I love her back in that way. I just learned what happened to Rachel. I-I'm not so sure about this. Max wants more than a friendship. Max won't ever let me go. She won't ever leave me alone. I-I'm stuck with her, aren't I? For the rest of my life. I-I don't think I want that. I mean, ugh, I care about Max but-but she was my best friend. She left for Seattle and ghosted me for five years. She came back to Arcadia Bay, but not for me. It was for her own motivations. What happened in the bathroom was an accidental miracle. She made me laugh and happy all week long, which I haven't experienced those kind of feelings in a long time. She made me care about others. Thanks to her, I found out what happened to Rachel and we busted those responsible for her disappearance. But now, she just threw everything out the window. She doesn't care about anybody esle. She didn't consider saving anybody. She has the tools and abilities necessary to save the lives of many, but she isn't doing it. She won't ever do it. She tore up that photo! It was our only chance! I won't ever see my parents, Rachel, my friends, my house, and my hometown ever again. I have to be with Max now. Forever._

Chloe begins to hear voices of people inside her head. She pushes Max aside and drops to her knees. She hears the voices of her mother and various people in the town begging for help. Begging to save them. She hears children crying, people writhing in pain, and hears her mother scream in horror. Unable to handle more of this, Chloe approaches Max and forcibly grabs her by her jacket.

"Max! Please! Use any of your others photos to go back in time and save everybody! Please! Grant me my last request!"

"No Chloe! I refuse!" Max fights with Chloe and tries to remove her grip on her.

"Max, please! I'm not worth all this death and destruction."

"You _are_ Chloe. At least, to me. Don't worry, I will no longer use my powers, even to save others. I will only use them if your life is at risk."

Chloe shakes her head and continues to argue with Max.

"Can you at least _try_? You have all the time in the world Max. We can plan this out carefully. We can use one of your other photos you took and-"

"No!"

Max manages to overpower Chloe and suddenly takes out her journal from her backpack and throws it away to the ocean. Chloe can't believe what she saw. Max crosses her arms.

"I'm not going to sacrifice you Chloe. I'm not going to use my time powers again. I will protect you, at all costs."

The voices return to Chloe's mind and she holds her head. Max tries to come to her aid but Chloe rejects her advances.

 _I-I can't believe her! She is going to let everybody die! She's not even going to try to save people. These voices. These cries. These screams. They're so fucking horrifying! I can hardly breathe! I can hardly think! Max, is still just standing there. She's...fucking smiling! People are fucking dying and getting obliterated and the time warrior is just standing there, looking stupid and useless. She threw away her journal! All of her photos were in there! There's no turning back now! She doomed us all! Well, it looks like I have to be the one to do something. I don't have time powers. I don't have the ability to stop this storm. However, I do have the means to put an end to the person responsible for it. I have only one shot at this. I don't know if this is going to solve anything but I can't risk it any longer._

Chloe begins to shake in fear and struggles to say a word to her friend. She realizes that Max is clearly worried about her and is standing at the edge of the cliff, smiling at her and keeping a distance. Chloe slowly reaches for something in her back pockets. Completely nauseous and struggling to remain focus, Chloe quietly instructs Max to turn away from her. Chloe points towards to the visible ocean.

"Max...look at the ocean."

Max joyfully smiles, obliges, and turns away to look at the ocean.

"What did you see Chloe?"

"I'm sorry Max." Chloe says under her breath.

Chloe takes out her gun, aims it at the back of Max's head, and pulls the trigger. The recoil forces Chloe to the ground, taking her sight off Max. At the same time, she hears Max's body hitting the ground. Chloe waits a long time until she finds the courage to stand up and see Max's body. Her body fell on the left side. She kneels and moves Max's body towards her. She moves Max's head towards her and looks at her pale lifeless face staring right at her. The bullet went right through Max's skull. Chloe looks at her hand and sees it covered in blood. Chloe turns away from Max's surprised pale face and feels like she's about to throw up any second now. Tears begin to flow uncontrollably from Chloe's eyes. She cries over Max's body all night long, feelings of guilt, regret, sorrow, and fear overwhelms her.

At sunrise, and after the storm has cleared, Chloe wipes her tears away and gently pushes Max's lifeless body off the cliff, so the ocean can take her away. Chloe pays respect to Max and begins to explore the town to see if there were any survivors. After several hours, she encounters nobody else besides her. All the phone lines are down. There are no incoming or out coming radio signals. She checks the diner out but finds no survivors. She makes her way to her house but finds her entire neighborhood completely destroyed. Getting nowhere fast, Chloe decides to drive away from town and seek help from the neighboring town. Feeling completely devastated and shaken, Chloe drives erratically in the driveable city roads. As she is about to reach the "Another Great Day in Arcadia Bay sign", she notices that a hooded figure is in the middle of the road. Instinctively, Chloe gets out of the truck and approaches the hooded figure. This person is about five foot five and has a slim figure. She figures it must be a woman, based on the body type and figure.

"Hello, ma'am? Do you need a lift? Do you need help? I have a first aid kit inside the truck if you need it."

The hooded person begins to chuckle and says something unusual.

"Ready for the mosh pit shaka brah?"

Chloe gets immediate goosebumps and rushes back towards the truck. Completely frightened and shocked, Chloe struggles to get the truck going. She drops the truck keys in a panic. She looks back at the road and is momentarily relieved once she sees that the person has disappeared.

"Too dark?"

Chloe jumps from her seat and sees a person in the passengers seat. She cannot believe her eyes. It's a beautiful blonde, hazel-eyed, teenage girl, wearing a blue feather earring. It's Rachel Amber. She's wearing the robes of the hooded person who was in the middle of the road.

"R-Rachel!?"

"Hi, Chloe!"

"But-but you're dead!"

"Not anymore Chloe! Thanks to you! You freed me! You slayed the witch, I mean, the _bitch_ who killed me."

"Wait, you mean M-Max?"

"If you say so."

Rachel winks at her and rests her head on Chloe's left shoulder. Chloe stares at Rachel and pinches herself. She is not dreaming. This is all real. She is completely loss for words and doesn't know what to think or say. As Chloe struggles to remain sane, Rachel kisses Chloe on the cheek and starts to caress her hair.

"Where are we going Chloe?"

Chloe thinks how to respond to such question. She thinks about it for several minutes. Rachel doesn't seem to mind at all on Chloe's hesitation to answer an easy question like this.

"Uhh...well..um...how about...wherever the open roads take us?"

Rachel laughs and touches Chloe's hands and gives her another kiss on the cheek.

"I knew you'd say that. Let's go Chloe Price! It's just you and me now. _Forever._ "

Chloe nods her head and drives away from Arcadia Bay, with a smile on her face.

 **FIN**


End file.
